The Fire Within
by Chickenbunny
Summary: It was supposed to be another in and out mission but things got kinda disastrous. And because of this disaster Nicholas Wilde is a "dead" fox. At least he thinks that until he wakes up in the presence of the legendary ZBO. He will learn the ways of the elite task force but his past will collide with him also. What will he do to protect the ones he loves from an evil organization?
1. Chapter 1

THE FIRE WITHIN

Chapter 1

Welcome to Zootopia! Where anyone can be anything. And by anything, I literally mean anything. I didn't really believe that until I became the first fox cop of the ZPD and later to be probably the best Zootopia Black Ops member. My name is Nicholas Piberius Wilde and this is my story.

 **11:09 p.m.**

 **Thursday, December 31**

 **New Years Eve**

I was inside of my crummy apartment, watching a movie with my favorite little bunny Judy Hopps. Now, before you say anything, yes, we are friends and yes, we are partners in the ZPD. A fox and a rabbit? Getting along with each other? You betcha. Ever since an o' so long story of us and the Night Howler Case, we ended up here and I couldn't be more grateful. She really is something. Something special. I don't really get along with rabbits, but this one has most certainly changed my life. If I could tell you how I felt about her, I don't know what I would do. I'd probably hit my head really hard with a bat, drop something on my tail, punch myself in the face, break my arms and legs, that kinda stuff. Or I might just let Judy do all of that for me. But yea, I love that bunny and you can take that both ways if you want for all I care. Is it because of her gorgeous looks? Is it because of her sparkling personality? Probably both. I swore to myself that I wouldn't let anyone get me. Of course though, she came into my life and took that motto right out of my muzzle. So, I guess you could say we were inseparable. Still are. But now, it's time for me to wake up from my inner thoughts and focus on the bunny right in front of me.

"Nick? Nick? Nick!" Judy woke me up from my thoughts. She was staring directly at me with those pretty amethyst eyes again. Come on, say something Wilde.

"What's up, Carrots? Already bored from the movie?"

"Nick, the movie's over." She pointed to the screen full of the credits of Yax to the Future.

"Oh . . . right." Did I just doze off during the whole movie?

"You know, I couldn't tell if you were daydreaming again or you were just really into the movie."

"Maybe I was doing both, Foxes can multitask believe it or not." I smirked at her.

"Yes and I guess you were pretty good at it. Crazy little fox." She smirked back.

"Sly, not crazy."

"And dumb."

"Touche."

A moment of silence filled the air. Not awkward but peaceful silence. And then . . .

"Nick, I need to tell you somethi-." Her voice was interrupted by my phone ringing on the kitchen counter. I looked at her first but she reluctantly nodded her head to say go ahead. I went to my phone and answered the call. It was our chief of police from ZPD's precinct one. Chief Bogo.

"Hey there Chiefy! How's it going?"

"Wilde, you and Hopps need to come in. Now. We have a situation." The chief always sounded grunt, but right now the buffalo seemed to be more serious than usual at the moment . No wait for a reply, he hung up.

"What is it?" Judy asked curiously.

I somewhat hesitated before I replied.

"It's Chief. He wants us to come in. Now."

 **. . .**


	2. Chapter 2

THE FIRE WITHIN

Chapter 2

After getting the phone call from the chief, we headed over to city central's precinct one to find out exactly what he needed. We were just outside the chief's office and Judy went up to the door to knock. She looked at me first.

"Alright, Carrots. Go ahead."I said with an eased smile. She knocked.

"Come in." The chief's voice called. We entered and took a seat in that one large chair that's sizeable for the both of us. Bogo was instead, in the corner of the room where the window was and he was looking out of it as if he was looking into the future full of nothing but void.

"You called for us, sir?" Judy asked. That is when he turned around, flicked on the lamp, and sat down in his desk's chair.

"Yes. Now, you're probably wondering why I called you two in, correct?"

We both nodded our heads.

"Well, to put it short, they're back."

Judy and I looked at each other with confusion shown across our faces.

"And who exactly are 'they'?" I asked wondering.

"The Brotherhood of Savages." The chief said with a grim voice.

That's when it hit me. That name. I've heard of it before . . . but from where? I was only a young kit when I first heard about them. Just enough to want to forget.

"The Brotherhood of Savages," the chief continued "is one, if not, the most notorious terrorist organization in the history of Zootopia. Their group consists of predators only, whether from the smallest shrew to the biggest lion. In the past, they have been known to commit numerous crimes, all of which include mass murder and all of the victims being only prey. And if you happen to be a predator, they say you either join their group or die. Most refused and they paid their lives for it. The ones that joined . . . let's just say they're not what they used to be. But the one thing they've never been forgotten for is the burning of half the city along with countless of innocent lives. During the fire, we thought there was no hope left even from us, the ZPD, but just when we thought all hope was lost . . . they came." The chief showed a small smile.

Judy and I looked at each other again, puzzled.

"Who came, sir?" She asked.

"The baddest of the bad. The boldest of the bold, the best of the best. The Zootopia Black Ops."

Now them I remember. Before me and Judy became the saviors of the city, there was the Zootopia Black Ops. Nobody could match them when it came to these guys. They were trained by the best and only for the best. Missions and training consisted of hostage situations, bomb defusing, mixed martial arts including advanced paw-to-paw combat, assassinations, etc.. Some consider them vigilantes, but I prefer the term servers of justice on a cold platter. But if this Brotherhood of Savages is really back at it again then . . . where are the Black Ops? Another thing, why out of all the officers in this precinct or any precinct, did Bogo pick us? That's if he even wants us. I guess we're about to find out.

". . . Aaand you want US to go out there and put them in the ground." I said with a guess.

"Precisely." The chief stated.

Yep, thought so. Just when I was about to object, Judy optimistically popped up.

"Don't worry, sir. You can count on us." She saluted proudly. Darnit, rabbit. Now it's my turn.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hold that thought. Carrots, do you have any idea who these guys are? What they are capable of?" I stepped in.

"Ugh, come on, Nick. There's nothing we can't handle. They're just another group of wanted men."

"They are NOT men. They're cold-blooded lunatics thinking they're "purifying" the city with fire and flames. Carrots, this isn't the Night Howler Case. This is bigger than us. Sure, Bellwether was a mind full of villainous ideas, but these guys are farther out. I know them."

"I understand Ni-" She started.

"No, you don't . . ." Silence filled the room. All that could be heard was the occasional tick-tock of the chief's clock. I then deeply inhaled and exhaled slowly.

"Just promise me one thing, Judy." With hearing her real name from my voice made her listen with undivided attention.

"Whatever may happen, whatever happens at all, whether something happens to me or something happens to you, just . . . don't let THAT fire inside of you go out as it did to me all those years ago." I pointed to her heart. All she did was smile and nod her head slowly. I smiled back.

"Alright . . . where do we look?" I asked.

"The last known sighting of the group was on a class-b cargo ship somewhere in the Gulf of Zootopia. The captain of a nearby class-C ship reported seeing the band hijack the ship and didn't see them come out. Even though you two are my best officers, I'm sending Wolford to join for backup and overwatch. Do what you do best. Find them and shut them down. If necessary, lethal rounds may be used. Dismissed and good luck."

Judy saluted and headed for the door, waiting for me. With that, I saluted as well and went along with my partner. We're sure in for a show.


	3. Chapter 3

THE FIRE WITHIN

Chapter 3

 **11:27 p.m.**

 **Thursday, December 31**

 **New Years Eve**

 **Gulf of Zootopia**

"Remind me again how you convinced me to do this mission." I seriously wanted to know.

"Because you think I am the most cutest bunny whenever I'm serious and optimistic and that you couldn't resist my dazzling amethyst eyes." Judy stated, clasping her paws together and fluttering her eye lashes rapidly.

"True and true. And God forbid me for calling you the C-U-T-E word. Sneaky rabbit."

"YOUR sneaky rabbit. Besides, it's our duty."

"Our duty to die? No thank you. I still feel like I have a life to live, thank you very much."

"Does that include watching TV and eating potato chips all day long?" Judy asked with a smirk.

"Very funny but no. I enjoy my life as a police officer alongside my beloved partner, who I do so care about deeply and I will do anything I can to make her happy." I said with a wink. She blushed.

"That's a lot of commitment to a bunny. Think you can handle it?"

"When it comes down to you, I can handle anything." I smiled and she smiled back.

"Sooo . . . anything, huh?" Judy wondered. I gave her a quizzical look.

"What do you have in mind, Carrots?" Immediately, after I asked the question, she blurted out without a second thought.

"A date!" She clasped her paws together over her mouth. I think my eyes grew wider than hers. A date? Me and Judy? I mean, it doesn't sound like a bad idea, but how would that look like? Like a friendly date or . . . something more? I rattled my brain out of the dream zone and looked at her still with wide eyes.

". . . Sure! Why not? It's a great idea! But just to warn you, I haven't had the best of success with dates." I slightly mumbled.

"How come?"

"Well, most of my dates dumped me on the date night. Just because I was a fox. Go figure. But you know what's ironic? My dates were all foxes. Almost every single vixen turned me down. Because I 'couldn't be trusted'." I made paw signals at the last part.

"Oh, Nick. Why can't people just see that you really are so much more than that? Why can't they see you the way I see you?" Judy put a gentle paw over mine. I lovingly smiled at her.

"Because they're not you, darling." I put my other paw over hers. The fur on her cheeks must've turned as red as my own fur. Good job Wilde. Meanwhile, Wolford was in the back of the dinghy, considering we were on our way to the ship and he seemed to about had it with our apparent love and affection for each other. Looked like the guy was practically gagging his brains out.

"ALRIGHT. We're here." Wolford ended the moment. We looked forward and sure enough, there was the cargo ship towering before us. She should at least be 300 feet long! Covered in a navy blue on the bottom half and a crimson red for the top. Once we got to the anchor, we noticed the name of the massive boat – The Inviter. Sure didn't look inviting, for the ship looked like it was about nearing its last voyage on the seas and had a kinda eeriness to it or was that the sound of the ship rocking back and forth in the wake? Either way, not the time to chicken out; we had a job to do. Less gawking and more climbing. So, we climbed the anchor for a less obvious entrance and didn't look down until we finally got to the top. The first thing I noticed when we got up to the deck was nobody was here or at least I assume. Weird. I mean, I know the crew was supposedly hijacked, but then where are the baddies? Should they at least be guarding and keeping watch over the perimeter?

"Where is everybody?" Judy wondered.

"That's what I've been asking myself."

"Alright, this is what we do. We search the area for anything or anyone. If we come into contact with a hostile, make sure to be ready to use that tranquilizer. Unless necessary, use lethal. I suggest we start from the front and work our way to the back until we find something."

"Sounds like a plan." I put my thumbs up. So, we did what the rabbit said and scanned the area for any sign of something out of place. So far, nothing but the usual shipping containers a cargo ship normally carries. I checked about every one of them and I noticed something different. I waved a paw for Judy to come over here.

"That's strange. All these containers are opened and empty, as if someone intentionally emptied them for a purpose." I stated.

"What are you thinking?" Judy asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, this cargo ship should've came into port by the evening and docked there for the night. This one is just anchored in the middle of the gulf. Ever since the hijack, you'd think these guys would just sail off into the blue. They're just sitting here like a duck. Check the log book of the captain. See when arrival of port was supposed to be." Judy found the captain's log and flipped to today's date.

"Yep. This ship was supposed to arrive at the port of Zootopia about six hours ago and it left port at 12:00."

"Now the question is why are all these containers empty? Not all of them should be empty. See what kind of product they were carrying. It should say in the records."

". . . Nothing but gasoline and oil."

"Now what do you think the Brotherhood needed that for?" I asked.

". . . Fuel?"

"Maybe. But what else do people use this stuff for?"

". . . Burning."

"Bingo. Now what would they want to burn with all of this?" I wondered. "Let's split up and see if we can find any more clues." Judy nodded. Judy went to the starboard side of the ship and worked her way to the back while I just went straight to the back. There wasn't really any light besides the occasional moonlight popping out from the clouds so I had to rely on my natural ability of night vision to scan the place while Judy had her cPhone's flashlight toggle switch to use. So far so good and so far nothing. After ten long minutes of searching, we about wiped down the whole ship of anything abnormal. Just need to check this last container. Wait . . . What on earth is that noise? It was hard to exactly name the noise 'cause I don't have ears like Judy, but if I'm correct, it kinda sounds like a beeping noise. Like the kinda noise a low battery alarm clock would make. I went around the corner to see what it was. The noise was coming from some kind of device strapped to a couple barrels of . . . TNT?

"Oh no." I nervously looked at the device and sure enough, it had a timer ticking on it and that ticker was just about to hit zero! "Ohhhhhh no." I wasn't escaping this one. . . But Judy could. On instinct, I spun around and screamed to the top of my lungs, holding my paw out in a halting signal to her.

"JUDY!" That stopped her immediately from doing everything, even breathing. The last beautiful thing I saw was her wide-eyed amethyst eyes looking directly at me like a deer in the headlights. And then . . . BOOOOOM! I go flying back and am knocked out of consciousness for about a few seconds. My eyes are heavy, my hearing a little loss, my brain swirling. The last thing I heard was the dire screaming of my name from the voice of Judy.

"NIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!"

And then . . . darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

THE FIRE WITHIN

Chapter 4

When I woke up, I felt like my entire body just got hit by a semi. I felt pain coursing through me from head to toe. Mostly my head but still, it hurt. I also felt a little dizzy and I didn't know why I felt like this. What happened to me last night? Come on, Wilde. Try to recap the events to lead here. Ok, so me and Judy were assigned a mission to stop a returning terrorist group. We took a dinghy and headed over to the cargo ship where the group was last sighted. Once we got on the ship, we scanned the area for any clues. I found out there was a bomb, bomb went off, and then . . . I end up here. Alive. I shouldn't be alive. That bomb should've killed me. How on earth am I still alive? And . . . where the heck am I? I looked around the place and noticed that instead of me being home or in a hospital, I'm in some kind of living quarter. The room was mostly covered in inky black and the temperature seemed to be very cold. Who turned on the AC? Guess maybe if I look out the window maybe I'll know where exactly I am. I pulled the blinds up and my eyes immediately grew wide for what I was looking out at. Nothing but the deep blue sea. You gotta be kiddin' me. Why am I underwater? Another thing . . . where's my police uniform? All I was wearing was a plain white T and a pair of loose-fitted jeans. Definitely not my style. Man, I must've been literally blown away harder than I thought. Alright, I gotta walk around. I'm not staying cooped up in this dark and depressing room all day long. I went to open the door, but what I noticed on the door was these three letters in bold. ZBO. And then the room number was on the outside of the door as I slowly opened it to peek outside. I wonder what those letters stand for? I went down a hallway that was also filled with nothing but black painted walls, ceiling, floor. What is with these people and black? Once I got down the hallway, I took a right and came into what appeared to be a debriefing station, but it was huge. On the left side, there was a living area, then you had a dining room in the far back right side, and in front of that, you had a medium-sized kitchen. Of course, everything in here was almost as black as well. But that's not what got my attention. My eyes were really set on the men who were inside of the room. All of them seemed to be dressed in some kind of military attire. Something like an elite task force would wear. I checked my pockets for any sort of weapon I could use. Nothing. I guess we'll find out who's side they're on. One of the men, who was a badger, turned around and noticed me standing near the entrance. He immediately called out to one of the other men.

"Sir, he's up." Everyone else in the room faced towards me and laid their eyes on mine. All of the mammals were of different species. From wolf to deer and tigers to rams. But the main guy I was focusing on, was the one in the very back who now turned around, and looked intently at me. He was a fox. Just like me. Except, this fox seemed to be much older than I, and just a little bit more built. He smiled at me.

"Welcome, Nicholas. It is so good to finally meet you."

Ooookay. How does he know my name?

"I'm sorry. Who are you? I don't think we've met before."

"Ah. Where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Meadows. Christopher Meadows. I am the general of this operation and . . . a lifelong friend of your father's."

WHAT?! That's it. I need a lot of explaining from these people.

"Alright. Can someone just tell me . . . what the HECK is going on?" I was flailing my arms around in a pattern of panic.

"Woah. Easy there, Wilde. No need to race your heart." One of the members, who was a tiger, was trying to ease my state of insanity. Great. So now HE knows my name.

"Where am I? How did I get here?"

"You're in an underwater safe zone. You got here because of us. Once that big ole' ship of yours blew sky high, we found you floatin' on the surface of the water. Straight knocked out." Another one of them, who was now a bear, made a bonking signal on his head to indicate my unconsciousness.

"So what like a submarine?" I asked.

"Underwater correctional facility, to be exact." The guy in the back was an otter and seemed to be the analyst of the group.

"But how am I still alive?"

"That's what we're surprised about. Judging by the blast radius and the magnitude of that bomb, that thing should've obliterated you instantly. The truth . . . you were wearing a heavy edition flak jacket. You're lucky to be alive." This time, an arctic vixen was talking to me. She brought out what was apparently the flak jacket that saved my doomed life and plopped it on the debrief table right in front of me.

"Where's my uniform?" I asked her.

"Torn to shreads and now at the bottom of the ocean." She replied flatly.

Great. Just great. I came to actually enjoy that dark blue uniform. I looked back at the fox general who was now keeping all of his attention only on me.

". . . You said you were a friend of my father's. How do you know my father?"

"I'm afraid, that question will have to wait to be answered another day."

Ok, last question.

" . . . What type of operations general did you say you were again?" The old fox smiled.

" . . . The general of the Zootopia Black Ops. Nicholas, welcome to the team."


	5. Chapter 5

THE FIRE WITHIN

Chapter 5

My eyes grew as wide as they could.

"The Zootopia Black Ops? THE Zootopia Black Ops?" I couldn't contain how much was going on. Is this seriously happening or am I really dead? General Meadows smiled with no signs of boasting.

"The one and only." He stated calmly. That then gave me a conclusion.

". . . So it's true then. They really are back? The Brotherhood of Savages?" I asked in a rather unassured demeanor. "Because we need them gone. I can't deal with a city ruled by these kinda hoodlums." Meadows seemed to understand who I was talking about and started with the seriousness.

". . . The men that "killed" you or should I say drained you, were, in fact, the Brotherhood. We tracked their last known sighting and headed off immediately to take care of the situation. But, as we all know, it was too late by then. The ship was sunk along with all the evidence to back up our debrief. Luckily, before we were just about to hunt them down, we found you. When I found out that it was you who was quite literally blown away, I knew it was time to bring you to this safehaven. I also knew, since you are the supposed son of my dear friend Mr. John Wilde, that this brought me much ideas. Ideas that will both change you and the way you think of this world. I'm sure your father will be proud of you as he always has. Though we have a long road ahead of us and the Brotherhood is still out their planning and doing God knows what. Questions will be answered soon enough, but first, you must rest. Training starts early in the morning and we want the body to be well-rested to function properly."

"Wait. Training? What training?" Training now? For what?

"You said you wanted to get rid of these men and we will overtime. But you cannot just waltz in their without the proper training. I'm sure you know that the group are much higher than the average pair of terrorists. They are smarter and they are quicker. So please understand, Nicholas. If you want to defeat them you must learn. Learn the ways of the Zootopia Black Ops and find your inner fighter."

". . . So why did you pick me then?" Meadows slightly smiled again.

"We didn't pick you because you were the son of John. We picked you because we knew that deep down inside of that hard shell of your's, you are a fighter. But you also are a peacekeeper. Why did you join the ZPD? I know it was not just only for the partnership of your friend Ms. Hopps. Because once upon a time, there was a boy. A boy who wanted to be a ranger scout. That dream was crushed on that fateful night, but it was not forgotten and neither was your legacy. Almost 24 years later, you became a police officer. And you thought you were going to stick with the hustling. The truth is, Nicholas – you HAVE made the world a better place and so has your partner. And you will continue to make it an even better place one small step at a time . . . I picked you because I saw that boy."

Everything seemed filled. Everything I've heard from a man I hardly know. He knew me when I was just a kit. He knew the night I was muzzled at the Junior Ranger Scouts club. How much else does this guy know about me? Though I've gotta say those were some good and persuasive words. Maybe the idea of joining the ZBO isn't that bad after all. Heck, I think it would be insane and probably in both ways."

"Alright. You got me. I guess I really am joining the crew. Never thought this day would come but what else is new."

"I'm glad you've decided. The training will be good, I am sure of that. So for now, I believe it is bedtime for all of us. Yes?" The old fox looked around seeing the guys nod their heads and put up thumbs. They headed off into their living quarters until it was just me and the general left standing in the wide room.

"So um, hate to interrupt the silence but, where do I sleep?" I was already rubbing my eyes from exhaustion.

"Whichever room you woke up from."

"Come on. I'll getcha back there." I looked behind me and noticed the arctic vixen from earlier was leaning right on the doorway. Dang, she's quiet. I hope that's part of their stealth habits they practice. Nearly gave me a heart attack. I then, followed her back to where I first came from. It was dark and the lights were off but as foxes that didn't give us any trouble. We soon found my room number. 10. Ok, gotta remember that. I decided before I headed off to bed I should at least get to know this girl's name. Can't be that hard for ya, Mr. Smooth.

"So, Snowflake, what's your name? Or is that your real name?" I immediately regretted calling her that 'cause the next thing I know, I'm pulled by my arm, over her head, and onto the ground with a thud then with a huge-looking knife that she incredibly stabs right beside me, into the floor which was nothing but rock solid concrete. Icy blue eyes were staring into my very soul. She smirked menacingly.

"Esther. That's my real name. And under no circumstances are you allowed to call me that name again. Deal?" This is probably gonna make it worse if I run my mouth about this, but of course, that's just little 'ole me.

"You know, as much as you frighten me, I really really think that name is catchy, and memorable, and beautiful. Just like you." I nervously winked. Did I just see a blush form from this chick?

"I'm not beautiful."

"Say that to the mirror, Sweetheart." Her expression first looked stern but then it kinda softened. She pulled me up and dusted me off, just looking at me as if I was a mystery she couldn't solve.

"Meadows did remind us you were always the slick and sly one. The good kind though."

"Oh? What else did he tell you?"

"That you have much to learn from people like us."

"What must I learn?"

"We don't fall so easily from words. Goodnight, Wilde." And with that, she turned on her heels and headed off to her living quarters.

"I will never look at another vixen the same way again." I said softly to myself. I then proceeded to lounge in my room, already getting ready for bed. But just before I hit the hay, I thought of a familiar grey bunny. I wonder what she's thinking about now. Of me? Of what happened today? I'm pretty sure from her point of view, I was decimated from the explosion and didn't stand a single chance of survival. I can still hear her crying out my name. Ugh. Why did this had to happen? All I can think of is what will become of me and what's gonna happen to Judy while I'm away. Far away. Gosh, I miss her. So much. Wherever you are, whatever you might be thinking, I'm not giving up on you. I'm coming back to you. Someday. I don't know when but I will. I looked at my phone and the wallpaper of me and Judy on my first day on the force. The phone just read 12:00 a.m. . ". . . Happy New Years, Carrots." I went to bed, shut my eyes, and drifted off into a deep sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

THE FIRE WITHIN

Chapter 6

When the morning came, I didn't know what to expect. To be honest, I expected to be awoken by the peaceful sound of birds chirping in the trees as the glistening sun would peak just over the horizon. Instead, I wake up to the sound of yelling throughout a hallway as the sound of doors were swung open. Oh, please tell me this is just a dream. I look outside of the window and as before, the big blue ocean. 'Guess no view of a sunrise or sunset. I picked up the alarm clock on my nightstand. My eyelids grew wide in surprise. 4:00 am! But I just went to bed at 12! That was four small hours ago! What kind of sleep schedule do these people have? Ughhhh. I could hear the yelling coming closer and closer by each passing doorway.

"Alright, alright, alright! Rise and shine you snot gobbling, lint licking, pompous womps of ladies! It's time to start another day and we're NOT gonna be burnin' the light out of it because of you buffoons! So get your stiff-tailed, buck-teethed, flea fiasco outta bed! That means you, Dixer!" This guy must be the drill sergeant. At least his language of insults isn't that bad. "No wonder why you're still a virgin! Ain't no pretty woman gonna be ridin' you with that 1-inch! Now, put that depressing thing away and get dressed!" Oooookay. Wow. I stand corrected. Much worse than that one polar bear instructor at the ZPA. So after the yelling died down, I decided to get dressed and head on over into the kitchen where I guessed everyone was at and thankfully, they were. I just remembered I haven't eaten a thing since the incident and my stomach was growling like a feral dog. I then proceeded to go up to the kitchen counter, noticing all of these medium-sized boxes. I picked up one of them and shook it close to my ear, trying to decipher what was inside the containment. I was just about to open it when I heard a familiar voice from behind call my name out.

"Good morning, Nicholas." General Meadows greeted without fatigue. Good morning is an understatement when you don't feel good and you don't see the morning sun. Though, I put on my polite tone and greeted him back.

" 'Morning."

"Sleep well?"

"Oh yeah. The best four hours of sleep in my life." I replied sarcastically. The fox seemed to sense my lack of sleep and commented on it.

"It is noticed that unlike the ZPD's work hours, we tend to arise as soon as dawn and we go to bed as soon as midnight. The ZPD starts at 8:30, we start at 4:30. They end as soon as sunset begins and we end when our job has been done. And unlike many of your foes, ours don't sleep as much and neither do we. As long as they are up, we are up. But how do we stay awake you might wonder. Training. Not only can you train your mentality, you can train your mind. We are not suffering from the wrath of deprivation. We don't grow weak and we don't grow weary. We really rest when our work has succeeded. So with proper training," he pointed to me, " and a little bit of black coffee, you'll be up and running in a heartbeat." I just stared at him in amazement. This guy gets a minimum of four hours of sleep and is STILL able to function properly. On the other hand, he might have a few loose bolts up in there.

"Well, I guess I better get used to the sleep schedule from now on." I stated reluctantly.

"Sleep is a beautiful thing, Nicholas. Do not waste a bit."

"Wouldn't dream of it. So the thing in my paw, what is it?" I asked, looking at the box and the boxes around me. He slightly grinned.

"That is your breakfast." My face shot up at him with befuddlement as I looked back at the box I was holding. I then sat down and decided to see what kind of goods it carried. Lima beans. Gross. Peeta bread. Gross. Sardines. Mega gross. A pack of cigarettes? Well, at least they added this little chocolate chip cookie.

"Aaand you call this breakfast?"

"No, what have you have there is really what we call an MRE."

"A what?"

"Meal ready to eat. And they will be your breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"Ah. I expected a five star course." He chuckled.

"It's good enough for the stomach."

"And bad enough for my taste buds."

"Even the cookie?" He asked a little surprised.

"No, the cookie's great." As I started munching down on it and later, the rest of the food.

"Hey Wilde! Come on over here. If you're with us, you gotta know us." One of the members who was a timber wolf called out my name and made a paw gesture for me to go over to. I glanced at the general.

"Go ahead. I encourage you to know the gang." I gave him a nod and went on over to the group of mammals. I sat down right next to the wolf and viewed the men sitting around him. All of them looked badass, nevertheless , but they all seemed to have warm and welcoming features shown on their faces. The wolf began to introduce the team.

"This is Jags, Keth, Xamon, Dixer, and Esther." Couldn't forget that girl. Esther winked at me. Other than her, I might need to remember who is who. Okay, Jags is the tiger, Keth is the bear, Xamon is the lion, and Dixer is the hippo. I should also know their names 'cause of the dog tags their all wearing around their necks. "And I'm Kruck." He pointed to himself.

"What classes?" I asked. I wanted to know who did what.

"Good question. Jags is our medic. Tends the wounded. If you're in dire need of a bandage or had just stopped breathing, Jags will fix you up. Keth will be demolitions. He's the one who makes things go boom, blowing all to smithereens. Xamon takes the role of pilot. He'll be flying those UH-1 hueys and f-22 raptors, giving some eyes in the sky and rainin' down hell. Dixer plays support. Now he's got the big guns. He'll be carrying around m60 LMGs to m134 miniguns, sprayin' and prayin'. Esther though is essential for her role. Her night vision capability earns her the title as scout. She'll be the high cal sniper. Plucks off those suckers one by one. And me? I'll be doing mostly assault. I'm the guy who's got your back with an m16."

"So who am I gonna be?" They all laughed.

"Before you get your title, you gotta earn your title." Xamon stated.

"Lemme guess. Training?"

"And a lot of it." Keth finished.

"First thing is, this ain't no walk in the park. You gotta be pledged to this. This isn't the ZPD anymore. This is much bigger. Much more advanced. You screw up, you do it again and again and again until you get it right. And always remember, the drill sergeant is not trying to weaken you. He's trying to strengthen. Build you up more. No soft guy. You don't flinch at nothin'. You do exactly what he tells you to do and you just MIGHT be an official ZBO member. Speaking of the sergeant. Sergeant in the room!" Kruck yelled out to get everybody's attention all on the drill instructor. What automatically surprised me was where? Where was he? I then looked onto the floor and I was taken aback at what I actually saw. For what I saw on the floor was nothing more than a mouse. Geez, these people surprise me every bit of the way. It's crazy how a mouse like this ends up with a strong military accent that really does sound like your everyday drill sergeant. 'Guess they didn't promote him for being best squeaker. The sergeant looked around the room towards his trainees, observing each and everyone's posture and attitude.

"At ease, soldiers." The mouse stood steadfast. He looked around the room making sure everyone was here by calling out all of their names in which they responded back with 'aye, sir.' I was the last person that he laid his tiny, little eyes on and he proceeded to walk straight up to me. It was honestly, still a little hard for me to take this guy seriously, just by his obvious size. But that didn't even make my think of disrespecting him. Last time I disrespected a small fellow, I almost got iced alive with my soon-to-be partner and best friend. Mr. Big let me know that size surly does not matter. Small black eyes stared right into my emerald ones and I daresay this guy was intimidating. I think I nearly broke a sweat.

"Good to have you on board, Piberius. Sergeant Damien Melbourne. As you might have guessed, I will be your drill instructor for the next 18 months, depending on your progression and advancement in-training." Wait, did I hear that right? 18 MONTHS?! Over a year and a half! I know the ZPA took long to complete, but that's nothing compared to this!

"18 months?" I asked still in complete disbelief.

"That's correct."

"I'm gonna be cooped up in here for 18 months?"

"The majority of the time, yes."

"But . . . my life! My career! I still can train on my own, on my own turf, whenever and wherever." The sergeant glowered his eyes at me a little with a warning.

"You're a dead fox, Piberius. Remember that." He pointed his index finger at me.

"More like a dead foxtrot. Get it? Dead fu-" Jags snickered out loud. It was his turn to be glowered at.

"And you'll about to be one too if you don't shut that autistic muzzle of yours!" Melbourne shouted out. Well, that shut him up. The mouse looked back up at me.

"What I'm saying is, ever since the explosion, the majority of the city, including the Brotherhood of Savages, declared you KIA. You might not think this at first but this works tremendously to our advantage, especially yours in particular. You play dead, you stay dead. And when the time comes for the snake to strike, he's got himself his dinner." It all sounded crazy. And what's still the craziest thing is I'm still alive. So the Brotherhood supposedly kills me, I get adopted by this butt-kicking antiterrorist group, I'm off the radar, get a little training, or a lot of training, really, and then pounce? Sounds about what a "dead" fox would do. ". . . You have a long journey ahead of you. But with our key factor of training and diligence, we will get there." He stared at me intently with a little bit of hope in his eyes. "If you pledge your allegiance to the Zootopia Black Ops you must answer the code of conduct with a firm 'aye, sir.'"

"Right now?"

"Do you pledge your allegiance?" Before I answered his life-changing question, I thought about it very strongly. Do I really want to join the most elite special force in all of Zootopia? Do I really want to pledge myself worthy to stand in the boots of a Black Ops? Do I really want to be this somewhat new and improved man that will do anything he can to serve the ones he fights for and protect the ones he loves most dear? Why, yes. Yes, I do.

"Aye, sir." And for the first time in a not-so-long time, I saw the sergeant smile.

"Alright, then. Do you, Nicholas Piberius Wilde, vow your loyalty to country, team, and teammate?"

"Aye, sir."

"Do you vow to serve with honor and integrity on and off the battlefield?"

"Aye, sir."

"Do you vow to be ready to lead, ready to follow, never quit?"

"Aye, sir."

"Do you vow to take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your teammates?"

"Aye, sir."

"Do you vow to excel as a warrior through discipline and innovation?"

"Aye, sir."

"Do you vow to train for war, fight to win, defeat our nation's enemies?"

"Aye, sir."

"Do you vow to earn your black rose every day?"

"Aye, sir." I saw that the general just entered the squad's circle as he announced the main thing.

"Then let the training commence!"


End file.
